Day 16

Bigfork to Clearwater Camping Area (Hwys 83 & 200) - 98 mi

Wow.  Tough day.

Rode the ups and downs of the scenic but desolate Hwy. 83.

A couple of nice lakes along the side of the route today included the lakes Swan, Alva, Inez, Seeley, and Salmon.

All day, I looked for a day-use area with a picnic table or place where I could effectively cook some noodles with my camp stove, rather than the hassle of making my own makeshift camp.  The breakfast sandwich in Bigfork and 3 bananas lasted me all day until I made it to where I would camp – a long story.

Because the day was going to be a long one, feasible places to stay were Seeley Lake, and Salmon Lake State Park if I made it that far.  I made it to Seeley Lake and had time to spare, so I figured I’d push on the extra 8 miles to get to Salmon Lake State Park.  Upon arrival there, the outrageous price of a simple campsite put me right back on my bike and down the road another 7 miles.  This place was right at the junction of Hwy. 83 and Hwy. 200.

I arrived at this more primitive, but wildly more affordable camping area, and spoke with some people there – the news got better however as they said I could camp for free on the other side of the river! There were no fire pits or picnic tables on that side, but free camping could not be argued with.

A few pictures from today.

Comments on This Post

Don Hutter
June 18, 2013
"Good job, the pictures are beautiful.  Keep up the good work.  Love your comments.  Anita and Don."